The Beat Goes On
by Ramica
Summary: Mike has found the perfect item to irritate the whole family with. Until Raph decides he has had enough. Complete.


                                                 The Beat Goes On

Rating G.

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonian.

The twelve year old Mike had found the most incredible, fantastic haul while out scavenging and he couldn't wait to give it a try but first he had to sneak it into his home down, in the sewers past the vigilant watch of his father and older brother.

Still he was ninja and it was worth the risks to try and luckily things seemed to go his way as neither Leo or Splinter were in sight when he came slinking into the lair he hustled his way into his bedroom and sat down on his bed to admire the find he reached out and tapped his fingers over the top of his treasure and was rewarded with a low patter of noise.

He sat back with a contented sigh, a smile growing across his face _' Now lets see what I can really do with this baby.'_ He thought to himself as he pulled his chucks from his belt.

(  ) ( ) ( )

Don had his eyes narrowed as he held the tiny screw between two of his thick cumbersome fingers and lifted the tiny screwdriver to put the thing into place. Then he jumped as a loud pounding thumping noise echoed off the concrete pipes of their subterranean home.

Boom. BOOM.** Boom!** Like the ominous sound of thunder on a hot summer's day it rolled and pounded.

He dropped the screw and muttered something unintelligible under his breath knowing he had lost the screw.

He shook his head with disgust before going off to investigate the noise as he emerged from his room heading in the general direction of the sound, he realized that he hadn't been the only one to hear or be disturbed by the loud interruption.

Leo was coming out of the dojo complaining of the loud noise. While Splinter who was normally, meditating at this time of the night was all ready heading towards Mike's room his ears laid flat against his head and his tail slapping the floor in irritation.

Don followed the others to Mike's room, which seemed to be the area from where the noise was emitting growing louder and faster.

Splinter knocked once and when he received no reply took his walking stick and hit the door a few hard raps. He scowled darkly his tail beating the floor even harder as the noise continued for a bit before stopping all together.

The door cracked open an inch or two and Mike peered around the corner at his irate Master and brothers. " Uh hi" he said a little uneasily as he slipped out of the door to face them hoping they wouldn't see his treasure that he had brought home.

Splinter glared hard at Mike " Just what is making that infernal racket Michelangelo?" Splinter demanded, " It seems you have forgotten the first rule of ninja, which is to be** silent!"**

Mike winced and put on his most pleading and innocent face the one he always used when trying to talk his father into some thing special, that he might not be permitted other wise. It was a child game but it worked well for Mike and he was not opposed to using it now, even though he should have been well beyond it at this point.

" Ah, it is a drum Master. I found it in a dumpster in the back of an apartment building."

Don snorted stifling a chuckle " Probably belonged to some tenant and there was complaints so the landlord pitched it."

Mike ignored Don concentrating everything on his mentor in hopes of winning him over " I was just practicing a little. Testing it to see how it sounds is all" He explained sweetly.

Leo glared at his brother " The noise from that drum could end up drawing other people here Mike. You can't keep it" Leo snapped quickly before Splinter could say anything.

" Aw, Leo" Mike groaned. He knew talking Splinter into it would be easier without his stiff, by the rules leader brother hanging around putting in his two cents worth. " Come on I promise to be quiet with it" he begged.

" It is a drum Mike. They are not quiet instruments." Don insisted, " What were you beating it with?"

" Well I didn't have real drumsticks so I thought I could use my chucks and get some practice in" Mike replied.

Don heaved a sigh and raised one hand to his head to rub at his temples.

" Is that how you end up respecting your weapons?" Leo wondered.

Splinter raised one hand and his three sons ceased their arguments and slight bickering. The rat's whiskers twitched and his tail slowly tapped at the floor.

" Michelangelo I have always done my best to encourage all of you to take up different interest and hobbies while maintaining your ninja studies."

Mike straightened up at those words giving a gloating expression Leo's way and sticking out his tongue in a moment of total immaturity, which seemed to come all to naturally to Mike.

Splinter however didn't miss it and rapped Mike with his walking stick across the head and Mike gave him a wounded expression while rubbing his head though he wasn't really hurt having felt his Master's stick more than once before in his life.

" However, those interest should never but the rest of our lives in jeopardy, nor should it intrude upon other's enjoyment around the home."

Leo couldn't help but smirk as he heard those words and mouthed an " I told you so!" behind Splinter's back.

" Leonardo that is enough" Splinter chided, swinging his stick behind him and rapping Leo hard on the leg before continuing " While I would appreciate it if you practiced more often using the nunchukus to beat the drum is not the same as fighting an enemy" Splinter chastised his youthful energetic son. A small smile played about his lips " If it did work I would have beaten sense into your head long ago."

Don glanced at Mike, he knew his brother had a fun loving easygoing nature and the drum seemed like the perfect instrument for his brother to play upon. " Master Splinter" he suggested quickly.

Splinter turned to look his way " I might be able to do something to tone down some of the drum's noise so it doesn't disturb us so much and isn't as likely to be heard by people topside" he offered.

 Splinter nodded and Mike grinned realizing that his more intelligent brother seemed to be on his side.

" Very well if Donatello is capable of doing such a thing would you promise to not play the drum by using weapons on it and playing it only in the space provided. If it disturbs others too often though I will have to insist that you get rid of it."

Mike sighed shifting uneasily he didn't want to agree to that for he really didn't want to lose the drum but if he didn't agree to it then Splinter might decide to just get rid of it right now.

"But Master…" Mike began protesting more for show then anything.

" Promise or get rid of it my son" Splinter declared letting the ultimatum hang between them.

" All right I promise Splinter" Mike relented willingly to concede the point.

Splinter nodded and turned to leave followed by the others. Splinter had no doubts in his mind that Mike would obey for he knew that though Mike was a bit of a fool he was quite trustworthy and could be relied upon to keep his promise.

( ) ( ) ( )

Mike was bored and typically when he got bored he had to find ways to amuse himself, amusement for Mike often came from irritating his brother's. Of course he could play his drum but all he had, minus his weapons that is, to use on it was his bare hands and while he could get a good beat going with that it wasn't as enjoyable for him.

_What I need is a challenge._ Mike told himself as he searched his room for something that might inspire or tickle that creative spark in him to a raging fire.

He searched the room and the most entertaining thing he found was a set of six juggling balls that Raph had bought for him a few years back for Christmas.

A slow sly smile crossed Mike's face. I wonder what sort of beat I can get while juggling balls.

Mike scurried into his drum room, it was a small section of pipe with old exercise mats attached against the wall to absorb the sound, and he didn't notice Raph sprawled on the couch watching television.

Mike at first practiced a bit of juggling then he dropped one ball down on the top of the drum caught it, then tried for a second ball following the first and slowly he worked it up. He was enjoying the beat and finding ways to keep bettering him self between the juggling and trying to get a proper beat and tune from the drum he hardly noticed that the drum's noise was perhaps getting louder then perhaps was proper for it.

Bum, bum. BOOM. Bum. Bum. BOOM.

Raph was enjoying a movie when he heard a loud boom that startled him into jumping about four feet in the air. He growled, thankful only for the fact none of the others had seen it to tease him about it later.

He tried to ignore the drum and concentrate on the Bruce Lee Movie that was playing and found that the beat from the other room only got more under his shell and irritated him immensely.

Finally he got off the couch and stalked into the other room snarling at Mike as he entered " You are interrupting my movie."

" But Raph this is **sooo,** great. You just have to see this I can juggle six balls while playing the drum. Actually the balls are the beats of the drum" Mike announced cheerfully totally pleased by his accomplishment.

He glanced up and realized that Raph was far from impressed however in fact he had such a look on his face that Mike was sure that he could see smoke rising from out of his brother's ears.

" I don't care!" Raph growled.

" Wait I just told you that I could juggle six balls on the drum and you don't care?" Mike couldn't believe that " How can you not care?"

" Let me tell you something Mike nobody cares" Raph insisted, " If we wanted poundin' headaches we'd let you know."

" I play the drum with six balls and nobody cares" Mike echoed, " Well fine be that way spoil sport." He sniffed.

" I will. Cut it out Mike or else!" Raph threatened and turned back to the living room.

Mike felt hurt by his brother's lack of interest as Raph was usually his best friend and was willing to join him. Course it was quite clear he was in a bad mood.

Mike however couldn't let that pass him by he turned back to his juggling routine.

Raph flopped back on the couch and turned up the sound on the television and relaxed he only missed a few minutes and hopefully none of the good action that came in any given Bruce Lee movie.

Then he heard it the sound coming from the other room and gave an exasperated sigh, trying to focus his attention on the show instead of the constant bum.bum. BOOM. Bum.bum. bum. BOOM. BOOM. Bum. Bum.

It seemed to grate on him getting under his shell and irking him making it harder to focus on what he wanted.

He pulled one of his sai fiddling with the weapon and thinking unpleasant thoughts while the banging continued.

" That is it!" Raph yelled unable to take it one second, never mind one minute longer. It was time to take care of things.

He stormed back into Mike's practice room " Step away from the drum and no one will get hurt" he warned.

Mike gulped " No Raph!" Mike half yelled panic rising within him as he realized that he might have pushed his brother a little too far and knowing also that once Raph decided on a course of action little would stop him until it was done.

" Not my drum Raph. Anything but my drum" Mike begged quickly.

Raph just gave a sinister smile as he sent his sai flying toward the instrument in question. Mike who had his hands full of balls dropped them and reached for his chucks, he might have done better tossing them at his brother but he didn't stop to think about that.

The balls fell some hitting the drum and making some noise as they hit then bounced on to the floor.

Mike was too slow to deflect the sai, which crashed down in the center of the drum punching a hole in the top of the drum that would be hard to repair.

" No!" Mike wailed, " You killed it" he accused his brother.

" Better it then you Mike" Raph replied. " Besides I take no prisoners it isn't my policy."

" It couldn't have bugged you all that much Raph" Mike sulked miserably looking at his now ruined drum.

" Sure it bugged me Mike because the beat you had going was not working with the beat I have going." Raph answered simply, " You have to remember we all march to the beat of our own drum and your drum was drowning mine out."

With that said Raph sauntered back into the living room to enjoy the rest of his movie in uninterrupted silence allowing Mike to mourn the passing of his cherished drum.

The End

Author's Note: This little story was inspired by a couple of things. One a circus juggler who actually did juggle six balls on a drum and say " I'm going juggle six balls on a drum and no body cares."

The other my nephew who decided the juggler acted a lot like Mike.


End file.
